What is an image?

I have been pondering this question in my head since the first day of class, but the more I think about it, the more confused I become.

I keep coming back to the statement made by Justice Potter Stewart in the 1964 Supreme Court case Jacobellis v. Ohio in which he famously admitted that he could not define hard-core pornography but, "I know it when I see it." (Justice Potter went on to defend the film in question against censorship. Additionally, he also voted to protect a women's right to chose in Roe v. Wade.) Anyway, I think defining an image is similar in that it is difficult to articulate in words, easier to provide examples of.

I am also reminded of this blog post from Humans of New York in which HONY photographed a sculptor:

“I’m a sculptor.”
HONY: “What kind of sculptures do you make?”
“Well, it’s a visual art. I’m not exactly going to be able to use words to transfer what’s in my head to your head.”

I think an image has something to do with expressing what is in your head. It is a relative stasis to the constantly morphing web of ephemeral thoughts. I do not think an image is innately visual, but I do think it is a sense experience. I think it is a relative stasis because the context changes depending on the particular moment; it changes with time, context, interpretation, mood, et cetera. But it captures a moment in your head, perhaps a series of moments, whether you are creating or receiving the image.